Sweet Memories
by MoMo the Mesh Monster
Summary: All the special moments that the two of them had together would be lost, that is until Graduation Day. Takeshi Takai reflects on the moments that he spent with the beautiful red-head.


**Hello hello! When I found out that there weren't many MitsuruxMC (which in my case is Takeshi Takai!!!), I was determined to write one to make all the fans out there proud!!!**

**. . . .I don't personally think I did a good job, but nonetheless, I tried my very best!!! You know what time it is??? You betcha! Disclaimer time!!**

**Disclaimer: I sadly must say that I do not own Persona 3 and any of its characters and storyboard and script and etc. **

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Part 1:

_The key, the climb, and the corridor_

I stared at the key in my hand. She told me to hold onto it, that it was a symbol of her need to run away. She said that after she met me, she didn't need to run away anymore. My hand clenched it, and I tucked it away in my pocket. She began blushing even more, which I barely thought that she could get any pinker. She whispered to herself something that I was unable to hear. _Why is she whispering? It's only the two of us._"Takeshi." She says my name. My _first_ name. She exhales. "Would you . . . stay with me . . . a little longer?" she asks. Her blush creeps across her face once again. I nod my head, with a slight smile barely stretching my features. I embrace her. She whispers in my ear. "I'm glad that . . . we can be together."

As I am about to leave her room, we hear noises from below. Worry crosses my face. I glance at her. "The others are here," she states logically. "We have to think of something quickly!" I nod. She folds her arms in front of her chest, staring at the door as though the others were going to break through at that moment. I concentrate on the ground, wishing it would just open up and swallow me. At least then I'd be on the second floor of the dormitory, no questions asked. Footsteps begin approaching the door.

"Mitsuru-senpai! Are you in there?" asks a familiar voice.

Mitsuru's face covers with panic. "Yes, Takeba. Do you need something?" Takeba replies, stating that she needs help with the archery club. Mitsuru says that she'll be right down. She turns and faces me. "Takai," she states. _Oh dear. That doesn't sound good. _"I have a plan."

I gulp. Three stories down is the ground. I pull my head back through the window, my face pleading for pity. She shakes her head "no." _Shot down without a chance._ "How long do you think it will take?" I ask.

"Not too long unless you keep pondering about it," she states sharply.

"A few seconds if I decide just to jump. . .," I mutter to myself.

The ground meets me, hard and fast. I landed on my feet, and yet, I find I'm sprawled out on my back. My vision clears, and I see Mitsuru hanging halfway out her window, hands over her mouth. I realize it's taking everything she's got not to scream out to me, or better yet, jump out as well. I force movement from my arm and give a slight wave to let her know I'm okay, at least not dead. I walk around the dormitory to the front doors, passing a person with Apathy Syndrome in the alley. I cast my eyes away from him as I pass.

Before entering, I brush the dirt off my school uniform. As I enter, my joints begin to stiffen while I start to feel the pain. Iori acknowledges me with a simple greeting to which I reply with a painful grunt. _Bad idea._Yamagishi notices the painful part of the grunt. She runs to me and begins hounding me about what happened. I sigh and wave her off. Entering the hallway next to the kitchen, I almost run head first into someone. I look up to see Mitsuru. Surprisingly, she's still worried. I smile and mouth, "I'm fine."

She slowly breathes out and puts her hand on my shoulder. I wince. She notices. _Strike number two since I entered the dormitory. _She stares me in the eyes. I never really realized how beautiful her amber eyes are until now. I can't help but feel as though I'm slowly drifting into a comfortable sleep as I gaze into her eyes, which happen to be glaring at me. After some quick analyzing, she walks past me and strikes up a conversation with Takeba.

_Part two: Champagne with no alcohol is just as fun_

We arrive at the Paulownia Mall just after school. She's amazed by the lights. I'm amazed by her. She states quietly that the lights are beautiful. Trying to be suave, I tell her that she's beautiful too. She blushes, and we continue our walk around the mall. We sit down on an empty bench, the cold seeping into our bones. Her face darkens, and she tells me that she probably won't ever have the chance to spend Christmas Eve like this again. It hits me hard. "Why?" I ask. She tells me about having to take over the Group and possibly being married to someone she doesn't love. My throat closes. _Dammit. That's not fair!_ She looks me in the eyes and blushes, and for a faint moment, I feel like I'm blushing too.

"Here, I got you a gift," she says, pulling out a bottle from nowhere.

I read the label: "non-alcoholic champagne." _Always the responsible one._ I smile and thank her for the gift. "I have something for you." I hand her a Japanese doll ("Her hair really grows!!"). She stares at it. Smiling, she she tells me that she loves it and that she'll treasure it forever. My heart quickens. I can't distinguish how I feel. I'm happy at what she said, and yet, I feel as though forever is going to end too quickly. At least, for one of us it will. We talk some more, before heading back to the dorm. I undergo the normal routine of casually arriving at the dorm a few minutes after her. I mean, it wouldn't be proper of me to make her stand in the cold and wait, now would it?

_Part three: Graduation, it's a new beginning . . . and a new end_

She stands in front of the information board. My heart feels slower than normal, but when I look at her, it still manages to speed up. I stroll over and stand next to her, not saying a word. She glances at me. "Mind if we talk? Somewhere private?" she asks. _Never out in the open. People would get ideas; rumors would be started. _We enter the Student Council room. I close the doors and lock them, invoking a small breathful laugh from her. "It's alright, . . . Takeshi. I've made sure no one will bother us." She smirks, and I remember how powerful she can be at times.

She walks up to the window, while I casually follow with my hands in my pockets. She stares into the inviting sunlight. "This will be the last time that I see this view from this room." I downcast my eyes to the ground. Reality is about to slap me in the face. "I'll be taking over the Kirijo Group, so I won't have the opportunity to go overseas." She hesitates. I notice that she's been doing that a lot more lately. "Things will be getting stressful, more so than anything else." _That she can remember. _I ask her if there's anything I can do to help. She smiles and laughs, warming my heart once again. "Of course, Takeshi. I'll need you by my side to help me when everything gets too tough to bear on my own." She pauses. "I'll be late coming to the dorm tonight. I've already packed up most of my belongings, wading through the memories of what's happened this year." For the third time, a silence fills the air. "You should stop by the Group sometime to meet the family. Just to say hello, that's all," she says with a smile. "Well, I better get going," she states, walking towards the door.

As she passes me, I grab her hand. "Don't forget you promised to let me ride on your motorcycle." She smiles, nods, and leaves.

The next two days pass quickly. I hear a knock on the door as I'm sitting at my desk in my room. I open the door, and Aigis enters. She tells me that everyone else has forgotten what really happened this year, but that we need to wait for them at the promised meeting place. We walk onto the school's rooftop as Mitsuru is probably in the middle of her speech by now.

_Part four: The collected memories of her_

I stare at the blue sky stretched out before me as my head lies in Aigis's lap. I reminisce on the past year, the year that has been full of so many wonderful memories. But, the ones that I think of aren't the sweetest memories, or the most painful ones, I think of the ones that involve her.

"So will you join us?" she asks, opening the metallic suitcase before me, revealing a band with the letters "SEES" embedded in the red fabric. Next to the red cloth is a gun. _A gun? _No, they called it an "Evoker." _I must be out of my mind._ I nod my head, joining SEES. She smiles triumphantly, something I find I become very familiar with.

She pulls up on her motorcycle, telling us that she'll provide back up from there. Iori, Takeba, and I enter the train station and begin running on the railroad tracks. We enter and head towards the first car, as told. Halfway there, Iori decides to be hero and go on ahead. After defeating a few Shadows, we manage to reach the first car and defeat the "main" Shadow. The train speeds up. We get a call from Mitsuru, telling us that if we don't stop the train, we'll ram into another one. Following my instincts, I pull a lever. The train stops. Mitsuru congratulates me, and for the first time in a while, I feel appreciated.

Mitsuru once again directs us in finding the missing Fuuka Yamagishi. We sneak into the school and split up, searching for the gym key. I find myself being paired up with Takeba, and yet, I'm rather displeased by it. _Why couldn't I have been paired with Mitsuru?_

We travel to Yakushima, and I can't help but feel rather excited by the prospect of seeing Mitsuru in a bathing suit. _I wonder what type she is? _The first day there, and we're already heading towards the beach thanks to Iori's nagging. Sanada, Iori, and I are the first three out there. Takeba shows up, followed by Yamagishi. But they save the best for last. Mitsuru strolls up in a white bathing suit with thin straps, a white skirt wrapped around her hips. The white of her bathing suit is offset by a red flower that reminds me of her. I blush with the the other two guys, and I find myself unconsciously glancing at her often.

I spent many nights talking with her as we walked Koromaru. I enjoyed just spending time with her, even if the temperatures were freezing cold.

The events at Kyoto were quite memorable, even though her father had just recently been killed by a man that we trusted a great deal. I wanted to talk to her so badly, but she just kept to herself. That is, until Takeba managed to pull her out of her depression. On the last night, Iori, Sanada, Ryoji, and I were in the hot springs, when the four girls came in as well. To avoid getting caught, we ran around the rock, barely avoiding Takeba and Yamagishi. We promised to keep our adventure a secret, otherwise Mitsuru might find out and give us a swift and final "execution."

Her motorcycle key rested in my jacket, which was cast across her floor. No one was in the dorm, but us two. I couldn't help but enjoy the pleasure and pain that she felt. Our hearts beating as one; our breath rhythmically being exhaled as one.

I stared at the champagne bottle sitting on my desk. It smelt of her. "We'll have to share it sometime in the future," she told me. _But when in the future? Will it be too late then?_

The final battle against Death was the most fearsome thing I had ever done. Fighting it by myself. But, after a while, I realized I wasn't alone. I heard the others' voices. But hers. Hers was as clear as winter night. "If you need a life, then take mine!!" I couldn't afford to lose. Not to him. Not for her.

My eyes begin to close as I hear the others run through the door to the rooftop. _Will she be safe? Will she be okay? Will she love me . . . even when I'm gone? That's it. I never told her I loved her, did I? How foolish of me._ _I could tell Aigis to relay the message to her, but that would be mean. I know how Aigis feels towards me. I can't do that to her. _"Mitsuru," I barely mumble out. "I . . . love. . . you." Satisfied, I smile, embracing the fatigue that has overcome me for the past few days.

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A little cheesy at the end, I know, but I couldn't help it. I'm a cheese lover. =) Don't hate.

**Please R&R (I feel so snazzy saying that. . .). I would love feedback of any kind!! Even if it's flames. . . But, if you do want to flame me, please be sorta kinda nice. . . I'm allergic to serious burns. =)**


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